Well, not really.
This site will remain, but I won’t be posting much on it. Most, if not all, of my Sox-related content will go on a new site my friend Taft and I have launched, Snobs vs. Slobs. Most of my energy is currently being spent on design/admin duties, but I will soon start writing more there.
Finally finished, the Handsome Man Team.
The design sucks, but you get the picture. Improvements coming soon.
Anyone following the Bulls probably knows that there is trouble afoot. First, Luol Deng injured his wrist and will have to undergo season-ending surgery. Now, after thinking he would be back soon, the tests of Eddy Curry’s heart do not seem to paint a good picture. Instead, the results were inconclusive and he’ll be back on the hardwood later, rather than sooner.
This would be fine, except the Sun-Times quotes an unnamed doctor in its story who paints a very scary picture of what team doctors are doing to my favorite player:
” But I don’t recall [Hakeem Olajuwon, who had atrial fibrillation, a treatable condition] going to so many different specialists in different cities the way Curry is. Atrial fibrillation is something that is treatable and doesn’t usually require second and third opinions. It’s not a common issue with world-class athletes, but it is a common syndrome.”
So… There’s something clearly wrong with Eddy Curry’s heart (insert lazy joke here). The Bulls might be able to win without him, but I wouldn’t count on it. Let’s all hope for a speedy recovery.
On a much more positive note, site friend Kelly Dwyer has a column up praising the Bulls for the season they’ve had.
And, finally, the best commissioner in pro sports had a nice little chat with ESPN.com users today(you’ll need an insider account to view it). One of the things I respect about Stern is that he doesn’t try and bullshit you. Unlike Bud Selig, he’s doesnt seem to be trying to sell you something. When asked about the loud music, cheerleaders and mascots at NBA games, here was Stern’s response:
I can’t disagree with the assertion. But there has evolved a philosophy by our teams that entertainment is a new and important part of our game experience. Whatever my personal view may be (and the size of my ear plugs) I really believe that the majority of our fans have come not only to enjoy the overall experience, but to expect it. You and I will have to grin and bear it together ; )
He didn’t even try to dance around it. Let’s translate that:
“The owners like it, I don’t. The fans like it, I don’t. That’s just the way it is.
If Selig was asked that question, I’m sure he would not only say he liked it, but that he wants more and more of it. More cheerleaders! More music! More Jesse White Tumblers!
Bulls at MSG tonight. Time to shove it in Jamal Crawford’s face that the Bulls are not only in the playoffs, but will probably have a 4 or 5 seed when they get in. Not an 8. Man, I love this team.
One of the main complaints that everyone had out of spring training 2004 was that Mr. Zero looked like a zero himself. His 75 mph fastball and frisbee slider were pummeled to a tune of a 9+ ERA during the spring.
This year, he pitched a great deal less, but also didn’t post huge numbers after last year’s surprising showing. Raise your hand if you thought Takatsu was going to post a 2.31 ERA. That’s what I thought.
Anyway, yesterday, he got popped for three home runs in 2/3 of an inning. I didn’t see the game, but saw the three home runs. Those pitches were about belt-high and 75-80 mph. If you are a major leaguer, you could probably hit those pitches to Milwaukee, no less into the outfield stands.
Is this something that will keep going for Mr. Zero? Probably not. I heard Tim Kurkzjian say on radio today that a lot of relief pitchers –especially big-name guys– don’t get enough work in during spring training. I trust Kurkzjian on this sort of thing and hope that Takatsu will be better in the future.
A loss is a loss is a loss, so I doubt –as the Sun-Times gamer indicated today– that the team will fall into a death spiral. Yeah, it stinks to win in extras one game and choke like a dog the next, but, that’s baseball. I don’t think anyone thought the Sox were going to go 162-0.
Bring on the Twins tonight, I say. Johan Santana and Brad Radke both looked mortal in their first starts of the season, Joe Mauer is bound to get hurt and Justin Mourneau already had a scare. Maybe the division title isn’t such a far-fetched idea.
Being that I work during the day and do not own TiVo, I had the joy of watching the lovely espn.com gamecast of the game today. Needless to say, I was pretty excited by the ninth inning. With all due respect to Taft, here’s a verbatim dialogue.
Me (to no one in particular): Man, the Sox are losing 2-0. There’ll need to be some ninth-inning heroics by the South Siders.
My co-worker: That sounded like the type of thing an announcer would say.
Me (meekly): I, uh, watch a lot of baseball
When Konerko and Dye went back to back, I screamed in happiness, and my co-workers looked at me funny. Luckily, they all know what a fan I am. Man, I love baseball.
Anyway, here are my impressions of the first two games:
- Sox batters don’t do a very good job of getting on base. Through two games, a grand total of 13 hits and 4 (ugh) walks. That’s not good at all.
- On that note, the Sox don’t do a good job of scoring runs. Five in two games is not enough to do anything in the American League. In 2004, the Sox averaged five runs a game.
- The Sox pitchers are good, but not going to set the world afire. Four runs in two games is excellent, but I’m not going to count on it.
- The team has no power, with only Konerko (who everyone knows will hit plenty) and Jermaine Dye hitting one apiece.
I know, I know, it’s only two games, but I worry about this team. Let’s hope TippyPitch McGee (Contreras) pitches well tomorrow.
With Opening Day two days ago, I haven’t been able to write about my beloved Bulls lately. And, boy, oh boy, there is trouble at the UC recently. Even though I doubt you get your Bulls knowledge here, let’s recap:
1. Eddy Curry is out of the lineup with an irregular heartbeat. He’ll be back soon, as doctors cleared him to come back, but who knows or when he’ll return. My live of Eddy knows no bounds, but let’s be honest, this does not look particularly good.
2. Luol Deng’s injured wrist will require surgery and he will be out until next season. No playoffs for Luol. Not a striking blow, but a problem nonetheless. I like Andres Nocioni, but he’s a defensive stopper, not nearly the scorere tha Loul.And with Curry out for a bit, scoring may be needed.
3. The winning streak unsuprisingly ended last night against Miami. Sure, the Heat didn’t have Shaq, but the Bulls didn’t have Luol or Curry. Also, Miami’s the best team in the East.
That’s the long and short of it. I’ll be back later today with a bit about the Sox game.
I worry that today is the type of win management is expecting every day. A 1-0 win at the hands of Cleveland isn’t something you can count on.
That said, Buerhle put up a marvelous game. He only had to use 101 pitches to get through 8 innings and even struck out five guys. Not bad at all.
I watched the end of the Rockies/Padres game just a second ago and it was won on a walk-off home run by Clint Barmes, a rookie shortstop.
This will sound very sappy, but I missed baseball a great deal. After Barmes hit it out, the Rockies gathered around home plate, as is the custom on walk-offs. When he crossed home plate, they did that jumping up and down thing/pounding on his helmet. It made me so happy.
3:45 P.M. EST
The Pod-man walked in his second White Sox at-bat. Maybe he won’t be the worst leadoff hitter in White Sox history…
More to come later in the day. This, ladies and gentlemen, is what blogs are for.
Because the USS Mariner does it, I think I’ll throw up the Sox finals cut-downs :
P: (11) Mark Buehrle, Jose Contreras, Neal Cotts , Freddy Garcia , Jon Garland, Dustin Hermanson, Orlando Hernandez, Damaso Marte, Cliff Politte, Shingo Takats, Luis Vizcaino
Catcher: (2) A.J. Pierzynski, Chris Widger
IF: (7) Joe Crede, Ross Gload, Willie Harris, Tadahito Iguchi, Paul Konerko, Pablo Ozuna, Juan Uribe
OF: (5) Jermaine Dye, Carl Everett, Timo Perez, Scott Podsednik, Aaron Rowand
I’m about as satisfied with the team as I can be. In reality, it’d be nice to root for a team with a little more offense, as I think Aaron Rowand, Paul Konerko and Juan Uribe will fall back to Earth this year, but you take what you can get, as a fan. Sometimes, you root for crap organizations with GMs smart as hampsters. We can’t ALL root for the A’s , Braves and Red Sox.
With that said, let’s play ball.
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